Air Force To Land Aircraft on Michigan Highway For Training Exercise
By Hannah DeRuyter
July 26, 2021
If you drive on M-32 regularly, you may need to find an alternate route Thursday, August 5.
Part of M-32 will be closed for five hours on Thursday, August 5, due to an Air Force war-readiness training exercise hosted by the Michigan National Guard. The training is to help the Air Force land an aircraft on roadways designed for cars and trucks, WPBN/WGTU reported.
The Air Force plans to land four A-10 and two C-146 aircraft on the highway near the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center.
Multiple military units are participating, including the Michigan Air National Guard's 127th Wing from Selfridge Air National Guard Base, the Air Force's 355th Wing from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona, and the Air Force Special Operations Command from Duke Field in Florida.
M-32 will be closed from east of Herron Road to west of King Settlement Road from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on August 5.
Neighborhoods in the surrounding areas may be affected by the power outage during this time. Air Force personnel will contact residents that it will affect and ask that they contact their utility company for backup plans if necessary.
The Air Force is also asking that civilians do not gather on the highway near the landing zones.